K2.0

Kula Shaker are the last great heretics of British rock. Named after – who else? – a ninth century Indian emperor, their esoteric (Bombay) mix of psychedelic riffs, esoteric ideas and Eastern mysticism laughed in the face of Britpop orthodoxy in the 90’s. Bristling with energy, vitality and most importantly, killer tunes, 2016’s K2.0 is the sound of a band rebooted, re-energized and focused solely on, as frontman Crispian Mills puts it, “being the best we can possibly be – making music that speaks for itself.” Recorded between London (State Of The Ark) and bassist Alonza Bevan’s barn studio in rural Belgium, it’s cinematic sweep nods to everything from voodoo gospel (“Love B (With U)”) to Ennio Morricone (“High Noon”) to freak folk (“33 Crows”). While fans will rejoice at hearing the band back at full-tilt on rollicking good-girl-gone-bad romp “Oh Mary,” it’s climactic raga-rock epic “Mountain Lifter” which seems set to reduce venues to rubble. Lyrically, while all the classic Kula-themes come with trademark wit – notably on green-awareness boogie “Get Right, Get Ready” and classical allegory “Death To Democracy” – there’s also a darker side, evident in introspective mid-album ballads “Here Come My Demons” and “33 Crows.”